The nature of life is change. The nature of change is painful. The nature of pain is temporary.

The key to transformation is not to fight with our experience but to open to it with awareness.

Self-awareness is the key to freedom. The more we understand ourselves, the more we understand how to be free.

Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.

If you want to know your past life, look into your present condition; if you want to know your future life, look into your present actions.

There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen. Even though you read much Zen literature, you must read each sentence with a fresh mind.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.

If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.

Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water. The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken.

The everyday practice is simply to develop complete acceptance and openness to all situations and emotions.

The willingness to empty ourselves and then seek our true nature is an expression of great and courageous love.

Mindfulness is the gentle effort to be continuously present with experience.

The mind is everything. What you think, you become.

The secret of happiness lies not in getting what we want, but in learning to want what we already have.

When the mind is ready to understand, the truth will come to meet it.

Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.

Without accepting the fact that everything changes, we cannot find perfect composure.

Panic, anxiety, and stress are not obstacles to the practice. They are the path to wisdom and compassion.

Meditation is not an escape from reality but a way to understand reality as it truly is.

The development of wisdom does not occur in isolation but requires the cultivation of the entire Noble Eightfold Path.

The root of happiness is altruism — the wish to be of service to others.

The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy. This is the goal of Buddhist practice.

The snow lion stays in the mountains, and the snow lion's ways are the snow lion's ways.

External seeking only leads to exhaustion. When you imitate others, you lose your own authenticity.

The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.

Study the Buddha's teaching which is present in every moment.

Enlightenment is not a state of perfection but of authenticity.

The basic teaching of Buddhism is the teaching of transiency, or change.

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.

Just to be alive is enough.

Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.

If you want to climb a mountain, begin at the top.

The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.